Constitution française
“On August 5th, 1791, M. Thouret read the Constitution… A solemn silence accompanied this reading; but no sooner was it finished than a burst of applause echoed through the hall for a long time, and tears of joy shone in everyone’s eyes: it was like reaching safe harbor after long storms”.
The French Constitution of 1791, “one of the most venerable political monuments in human history” (P. Larousse).
Precious copy preserved in its contemporary morocco and bearing the following motto: “The Law and the King”.
12mo of (1) l., 140 pp.
Contemporary red morocco, triple gilt fillet on covers, motto « The law and the king » in gilt on a green morocco piece at the center of covers with constitution française in gilt, smooth spine decorated with green Morocco pieces, gilt fillets and fleur de lys, gilt edges.
131 x 80 mm.
Constitution française. Présentée le 3 septembre 1791, et acceptée par le Roi les 13 & 14 du même mois. Edition très exacte.
Nancy, de l'Imprimerie de la veuve Leclerc, [1791].
The first French Constitution.
It is the first to present the text of the Constitution, followed by the “Letter from the King to the National Assembly on September 13, 1791,” the “King’s Oath Accepting the Constitution at the National Assembly session of September 14, 1791,” and the “Speech by Mr. Thouret, President of the National Assembly, to the King, on September 14, 1791”; it is also the first edition in in-24 format.
“The 1791 constitution will remain one of the most venerable political monuments in human history” (P. Larousse).
One of the most valuable documents in French political history.
The Constitution of 1791 is the first of our revolutionary charters and whatever its imperfections may be it will nonetheless remain one of the most venerable political monuments in the history of humanity.
Completed on September 3, 1791, the Constitution was accepted by the king on the 13th of that same month. The following day, he took the oath of office and signed the constitutional act establishing national sovereignty.
The result of the work of the National Constituent Assembly—whose members included Mirabeau, Sieyès, and Condorcet—the Constitution of 1791 ushered in a new political era.
As the supreme expression of political power, it was the constitutional act that transferred sovereignty from the king to the Nation, laying the foundation for the constitutional monarchy.
The nation set the limits of royal power and prescribed to Louis XVI the conditions under which he could continue to reign.
It is preceded by the 17 articles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which constitutes “the death certificate of the Ancien Régime.” (Aulard).
“On August 5th, 1791, M. Thouret read the Constitution… A solemn silence accompanied this reading; but no sooner was it finished than a burst of applause echoed through the hall for a long time, and tears of joy shone in everyone’s eyes: it was like reaching safe harbor after long storms.
On September 4, 1791, as the king entered the castle chapel, several voices cried out: “Long live the Nation! Long live the Constitution!”; cries of “Long live the king! Long live liberty! Long live the first constitutional king of the French!” were heard from all sides. The publication of the Constitution throughout France was marked by the utmost solemnity. The overwhelming majority expressed the hope that the completion of the Constitution would mark the end of the Revolution” (Choix de Discours prononcés à la tribune depuis 1789).
Precious copy preserved in its contemporary red morocco and bearing the motto “The law and the king” on covers.
